2009 Iranian university dormitory raids
The 2009 Iranian university dormitory raids took place on 14 June 2009 (or 24 Khordad in the Iranian calendar) at various university dormitories throughout Iran.[1] The raids were carried out by the state-sponsored Basij militiamen against students suspected of having participated in the ongoing election protests.[2]
Raids
[edit]The dormitories of the University of Tehran, the largest general university in the Islamic Republic of Iran, were raided by Basij militiamen. At least 3 men and two women,[1] were reported to have been killed or wounded by the Basij.
Unrest between students and Basij also took place at Amir Kabir University in Tehran, University of Sistan and Baluchestan, Razi University in Kermanshah, and University of Mazandaran; Ferdowsi University in Mashhad, in particular, was the scene of violence between students and members of both the Basij and the Ansar-e-Hezbollah.[2]
Reaction
[edit]119 members of the University of Tehran faculty resigned en-masse on 15 June 2009 in protest of the raid.[3] Ali Larijani, speaker of the Iranian Majlis, condemned the raid and blamed the Interior Ministry for the raids;[4] the Interior Ministry, in turn, ordered a probe into the incident.[5]
The Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA) wrote a letter to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei condemning Iranian officials for the university raids and arrest of students.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Lyons, John (19 June 2009). "Students slaughtered in Tehran university attack". The Australian. Archived from the original on 21 June 2009. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
- ^ a b Tait, Robert (16 June 2009). "Unrest in Iran spreads to provinces as students clash with security forces". The Guardian. UK. Archived from the original on 19 June 2009. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
- ^ Sullivan, Andrew (15 June 2009). "Tehran University's Faculty Resigns En Masse". Archived from the original on 18 June 2009. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
- ^ "Unfortunate incidents probed at Iran university amid crackdown". CNN. 17 June 2009. Archived from the original on 20 June 2009. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
- ^ "Iranian Ministry Seeks Probe of Deadly Raids at Tehran University". 17 June 2009. Archived from the original on 20 June 2009. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
- ^ "MESA Letter of Protest To Iranian Authorities". Retrieved 10 October 2009.
External links
[edit]- Video footage of the raid, broadcast by BBC Persian, 22 Feb. 2010 (8 months after the raid)